Ben took a step towards Rey as the Stormtrooper grabbed her. Rose screamed beside her as she was grabbed by a second trooper. Rey fought against him, but he pushed her down to the ground, holding her there with his leg.
All he could do was watch… or could he do more. He had touched Rey before through their bond. If touching her was possible, perhaps he could give her a way to define herself. Ben held his hand towards his bedside table. The lightsaber went to him instantly.
Their eyes met, and he prayed this would work. He threw the lightsaber towards her, watched it fly from his world into hers. She reached out and grabbed it, her eyes growing wide. It worked. The Stormtrooper looked down, hesitating as he saw something appear out of nowhere in the girl's hand.
Rey hit the button, the blade coming to life in her hand, and swung towards the Stormtrooper. He staggered backwards several steps before coming to a stop. His head fell off first before his body followed. With Rey's free hand, she threw the other trooper away from Rose using the Force. The trooper hit the building with a loud crack, falling to the ground and not moving.
"Hide! We are on the way," Ben yelled.
"Hux… he's here," she cried.
The mention of that man sent Ben into a frenzy. He had to stay composed to get to Rey. He could lose control after she was safe, but for now she needed him.
"It's okay. I'm coming, Rey. Can you and Rose get to the cruiser?"
"N—no, that way is blocked."
"Okay, find a place to hide. We are coming for you guys."
Ben waited until the two girls got to their feet and ran. The hardest thing he had to do was close the vision so he could get help. As soon as he could, he would reach out to her again. Ben tore the door of his bedroom open and ran down the hallway.
"Poe! Finn!" He screamed. He didn't know where the men were, but he knew they would hear him. Sure enough, both men ran out of their respective rooms and met Ben in the hallway.
"Rey and Rose are in trouble," Ben said, his heart hammering in his chest.
"Rose?" Finn replied, his eyes growing wide in fear.
"Where? How do you know?" Poe asked.
"Nevermind that, we gotta get to them fast," Ben said, already moving to the exits.
"Ben, wait… tell us what happened?" Poe called, but Ben didn't stop. They could follow, or they could stay here. It was up to them.
"I'll tell you on the way," he yelled back.
The three men jumped into Poe's cruiser and took off towards town. "Ben, what the hell is going on?" Poe asked, stealing a look at his friend. Ben sat in the front seat, his body rocking back and forth in fear. He shouldn't have let her go, or he should have gone with her. This was his worst fear coming to pass.
"Ben!" Fin yelled, angered.
He came out of his thoughts, looking at his best friends. They had a right to know what they were going into. "Rey and I have… have this connection. I can feel her, talk to her, no matter where we are. I can see her, too. She reached out to me just now. The First Order showed up in the town. They think we are somewhere on the planet, but I don't think they have intel to the specific location. Rey and Rose were caught in the middle, but escaped. They're hiding until we can reach them, but we don't have much time."
"The First Order? We should have told the Resistance!" Poe yelled.
"No! They don't know where we are. We get the girls, get back and then we can talk to the Resistance. If we go in guns blazing they will know we are here for sure! Our first priority is Rey and Rose!"
"Ben's right, Poe. Let's get the girls, and then we can deal with the rest."
"The Resistance Base is safe for now. No one in the town knows where we are. We've been safe to cover our tracks. But, if they find Rey and Rose they have means to extract information from them," Ben said.
The connection with Rey tickled the back of his mind. He stopped rocking, opening the connection further. At first, he couldn't see anything, for the world around him was darkness.
"Rey?" He called out, softly.
"We can hear them screaming, Ben, all around us," Rey whispered, her voice shaking.
"Poe, Finn and I are on the way. We will get you two out of there… I swear it. Where are you?"
"In—in a small hut outside of town. There—there's a small room underneath the floor. We are hiding inside. B—but, the screams are getting closer. Ben, they're getting closer to the hut."
"Listen to me, you're going to be alright. I won't let anything happen to you. Just stay as quiet as possible and I…"
Ben heard Rey gasp, and he closed his mouth. He could see inside the dark hole in the floor, could barely make out the two girls huddle together, their arms wrapped around each other. Above their heads he could hear the sound of footsteps slowly walking across the floor. Someone was inside with them.
"Faster, Poe!" Ben yelled.
"Hang on," Poe responded, pushing the cruiser into speeds rarely tested. Ben was thrown back in his seat, as the world outside the window blurred. The cruiser flew over a hill, sending them airborne.
The town came into view, and what they saw caused stunned silence between the three men. Everything was on fire. Bodies lay everywhere. They were walking into a massacre.
"Go around the town, to the outskirts. Get ready for a fight," Ben said, as Poe slowed the cruiser down.
Ben reached for his lightsaber only to realize Rey had it. He was going in unarmed.
"Here, I brought an extra one," Finn said, pushing a blaster in Ben's hand.
There were two huts still standing, and one had its door blown out. The moment he felt Rey inside the hut he jumped out of the cruiser. Poe and Finn were right behind him. He expected trouble the moment he came out into the open, but there was nothing. He scanned the area as quickly as he could, but no one was around. Something was wrong.
Ben burst through the hut, his blaster pointed to the only one standing. He froze, his eyes growing wide. Six Stormtroopers lay dead at his feet, scattered through the small hut. Standing in the middle of them was Rey, the lightsaber softly buzzing in the quietness.
"Ben," Rey breathed, her terrified eyes growing wide. The lightsaber fell from her hands as she rushed towards him. He lowered the blaster and caught her as she threw her arms around him, her body shaking.
"Rose!" Finn called, his eyes searching the room.
"Finn!" Rose screamed.
A piece of the floor moved away, exposing a small hole. Rose crawled out, stumbling to her feet and running towards Finn. He met her half way, grabbing her and holding her tightly.
"S—s—she killed them all… she…" Rose cried, her voice hoarse.
"You're okay. I got you," Finn said, shushing her cries.
"Uhhhh... guys, we gotta go! Now!" Poe yelled from the door.
Ben left Rey for only a moment to grab his lightsaber. He looked around the room, seeing the dead Stormtroopers. Rey had done this… had fought back. He pushed the blaster into her hands, taking her other hand and running towards the exit.
Above their heads a large ship hovered. Dust and rocks flew into the air, causing Ben's eyes to burn. "Go!" He yelled over the sound.
The five of them ran towards the cruiser. They never made it. The ship above their heads shot towards the cruiser, blowing it into pieces. They slid to a stop, their eyes growing wide. They were trapped as the ship landed behind them.
Ben looked around the group, meeting the faces of his friends. There was only one way out of here, and their odds weren't that good. A host of Stormtroopers ran from the ship, followed by Hux and his men. His icy blue eyes looked straight at Rey. She was their mission. Ben wouldn't let him succeed.
"Let's do this," Poe said, slowly raising his blaster. All at once, the group scattered, taking cover wherever they could find.
Ben and Rey dove behind what was left of one of the buildings. It was crumbling around them, but it was the only safe haven they had. Finn and Rose hid behind a large boulder, while Poe ran through gun blast fire towards the hut Rey and Rose had hid in. The battle began.
Stormtroopers came from every direction. Ben waited for them to come around the building and cut them down when they got close. Rey covered their other side, shooting straight and true. Finn and Poe shot their fair share of troopers, but it barely put a dent into what they faced. When one trooper fell, two took their place.
"Enough!" Hux screamed, silencing the trooper's blasters. "You Rebel Scum cannot win this. We have you surrounded." Ben looked around the corner to see where Hux was. He was nowhere to be found, but he was close.
"Rey!" Hux yelled. She flinched when he yelled her name, scooting further away from the building's edge. Ben watched her head drop, watched the emotions pass on her face. "You can save them. You have my word."
"Y—Your word means nothing!" she yelled back.
"You are in no position to make that judgement. This is your grandfather's fight not mine. All I'm interested in is you. Give yourself up and come with me and your friends can live to fight another day!"
Seconds crawled by as Ben watched Rey. The blaster in her hand slowly fell inch by inch. He knew her mind was made up. "Rey," he choked out.
She kissed him, slowly and deeply. "Get them out of here," she whispered as she slipped from his arms.
He watched her disappear out of sight, his hand still outstretched for her. Pure rage, as hot as fire, burned inside of him. "No!" He screamed.
Ben ran out into the open field, a guttural scream leaving him. The first Stormtrooper ran for him, but he picked him up with the Force and threw him out of the way, taking out two more troopers. Blasts came from every direction, but he blocked them with his lightsaber, his furious eyes upon Hux. He wouldn't take Rey from him.
Hux's men grabbed Rey, dragging her towards the ship. Blasts came from behind from Poe and Finn. They were opening the way for him to reach Rey. More Stormtroopers appeared, surrounding him. He barely saw the danger before him, his eyes solely on Rey as she was pulled into the ship.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar came from his left. The ground below them started to shake. The Stormtroopers stopped fighting, their eyes trained to where the sound was coming from. Above them, a fleet of X-Wings flew past them, circling around to take aim.
"The Resistance!" Finn yelled in triumph.
The entire Resistance had shown up. X-Wings above their heads, cruisers and speeders on the ground, came straight for them. The Stormtroopers turned and ran towards the safety of their ship. Hux had already closed the door on them.
The Millennium Falcon came into view, hovering over Ben and the others. The loading ramp came open and Chewie stuck his hand out for Ben. He climbed inside, and ran past Chewie as the large Wookie helped Poe, Finn and Rose inside to safety.
"Dad, follow that ship!" Ben yelled, running to the cockpit and pointing to Hux's ship.
The ship picked up speed. The time of saving Rey was slowly slipping between his fingers. Ben opened the connection, instantly transported into the ship. Hux slapped Rey, making her fall to the ground. She didn't stay down for long, but rose to her feet to meet him face to face. She was no longer scared of him, and Hux took a step away from her realizing he didn't scare her anymore.
"Rey, open the landing door… trust me!" Ben said, hurried. Rey looked around the room, looking for the latch for the door. She raised her blaster, shooting it. Sparks flew, but the landing door opened. Hux and his men flew backwards from the force of wind, but Rey stayed where she was, fighting against the pull. Ben ran to the back of the Millennium Falcon, pushing the door open. The wind howled around him, but he grabbed the edge and turned towards the large ship. He pushed himself as far down the ramp as he could, waiting.
Han flew the Millennium Falcon parallel to the ship, holding it as still as possible. "Rey, jump," Ben screamed. She didn't hesitate.
As if in slow motion he watched her turn towards him. She ran through the landing door and jumped, her arms outstretched for him to catch her. Ben caught her, pulling her tightly to him as Han turned the Millennium Falcon away from the ship. Ben jerked them backwards and they landed inside as Poe closed the door.
Hux's ship shot through the sky, disappearing into space. Ben had gotten to her with only seconds to spare. He couldn't move, couldn't think about anything but holding her close to him. He didn't even care where his father flew them. He wouldn't move from this spot.
"Ben?" Han yelled from the cockpit, concern and fear laced in his voice.
"W—we're fine," Ben said, barely able to speak.
Poe, Finn and Rose fell beside him and Rey, grabbing them in hugs. The five of them had just been at death's door and lived to tell about it. Ben and Rey sat up, hugging their friends. Rose threw her arms around Rey, crying. Poe and Finn grabbed Ben, telling him how awesome and stupid he was for facing down all those Stormtroopers.
Han flew them back to the Resistance Base. Leia was waiting to throw herself into her husband's arms when they all pulled themselves from the Millennium Falcon. She grabbed Ben, pulling him into a hug. She reached out her hand to Rey, pulling the girl into the hug as well.
"How did you know?" Ben asked Leia.
"We didn't," she said, swiping at tears. "We got intel of the massacre at the town. When we got eyes on the scene we realized you five were stuck in the middle. I sent all I had to bring you all home."
Ben hugged his mother, not used to seeing her so shaken. "The planet has been compromised," Ben whispered.
"I know. We are working on leaving as we speak."
"Leaving?" Ben asked, releasing her.
"We can't stay here and take a chance of the First Order finding our base. They know we are on the planet now. We have to find a new base. For now, get yourselves cleaned up and get some rest. We have time."
Ben led Rey to her room, helping her out of her dusty, dirty clothes. He followed her into the shower, just holding her. She hadn't said much since they returned to the base. He washed away the dried blood under her nose where Hux had slapped her.
"You didn't leave me," she whispered, the water beginning to turn cold.
He kissed her slowly, pushing all of his love towards her. Turning off the water, he picked her up and carried her towards the bed. He laid down beside her, kissing every inch of her. He touched every part of her body, memorizing the feel of her skin. He needed to feel that she was alive, needed to feel she was here with him and not still on the ship with Hux.
Hours later, a nightmare wrecked his body. He had reached Rey too late. The hut they hid inside of lay in ruins. The walls were blown out, the room caved in. Ben, Poe and Finn dug their way through the rubble to find the girls.
Rey lay on her back, her eyes staring towards the sky shining through the hut. He crawled towards her, pulling her into his arms. She didn't move. Her eyes stared at him, but there was no life inside them, just two blank orbs.
He hugged her to him, his own sanity crumbling like the hut around him. He looked around for help, for anyone that could save her, but there was no hope. He had been too late. He looked down at her again, willing her eyes to blink. He begged her to breathe. She remained motionless. She remained unseeing. Rey, the love of his life, was dead.
Ben's eyes flew open, a mute scream upon his lips. Rey moved at his side, snuggling closer. He stared down at her, seeing the color swim underneath the skin of her face, feeling her breath on his skin.
He pulled himself from her arms, sitting up on the side of the bed and rubbing his sweat-stained face with a hand that shook. He hadn't been too late to save her. She was safe and sleeping beside him. The nightmare left him shaken, for it was almost as if it were a vision. It had only been a dream, though... but he had never had a dream feel so real.